Lindy Ruff

March 18, 2013

Vanek*, Hodgson, Ott, Foligno. At this point, these are the only players I really care about being on the Sabres roster after this season.

Thomas Vanek gets an asterisk because, given his current trade value, he could probably command a first round pick, a top prospect, and a roster player from a top Cup contender at this year's trade deadline. So while I'd love to build around Vanek over the next five years, it would probably be stupid not to trade him now, especially when you have to believe he'll be leaving as a UFA after next season.

If Darcy Regier has already offered Vanek an extension based on this year's performance and he's turned it down, Regier in no uncertain terms should trade him at the deadline. Therefore, given the fact that Vanek hasn't signed an extension, I would think it logical to conclude that either a) Regier hasn't offered one (which is grounds for dismissal), or b) Vanek has refused it (which is grounds for a trade).

So here's the real deal: If I'm GM of the Sabres and Thomas Vanek is no longer on my team, I'm almost by definition in full rebuild mode. Therefore, considering Regier told The Buffalo News just last week that he's "﻿not in a blow-it-up mind-set," I think this is all you need to know to realize he really has to be the next guy out the door. As in, prior to free agency.

I don't arrive at this conclusion lightly. Click on the "Darcy Regier" category on the right sidebar, and you'll find that I've been plenty conciliatory towards the GM over the past year or so. Critical? Of course. But because, for example, it's largely pointless to complain about a GM's inability to retain players who decide to leave via free agency, it's instead better to judge him by the acquisitions he makes.

Remember, in one calendar year Regier added Christian Ehrhoff, Ville Leino, Robyn Regehr, and Cody Hodgson. In hindsight it might be easy to find fault with at least some of these moves, but it would be disingenuous to argue that they didn't look attractive at the time. He followed this by unloading everybody's favorite whipping boy, Derek Roy, in order to acquire Steve Ott. Considering Ott is one of the only players on the entire team willing to lay it on the line every game, g'head and argue that this was a bad move.

So like any other GM in the history of sports, Darcy Regier has made bad moves and good moves. Over the years my biggest critique of his has always been his absolute loyalty to Lindy Ruff. I believe this unwillingness even to consider making a coaching change no matter what flies in the face of what it takes to be a GM in the first place. I think it prevented him from recognizing his team's generally soft play and what at least seemed to be the players' propensity to tune out its coach for extended stretches over multiple seasons.

Indeed, I thought Regier and Lindy Ruff both should've been fired five years ago, but because it became clear that this just wasn't going to happen, I guess I just began to accept reality and make the best of the situation. Still, while Regier obviously took responsibility for firing Ruff last month, I highly doubt this decision was made in isolation. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if ownership initiated the decision and gave Regier his marching orders.

And herein lies the rub. Despite Regier's efforts the past couple seasons to put together a talented roster -- it's hard to argue this team shouldn't be performing much better than it is -- the Buffalo Sabres organization has been exposed as hopelessly reactive, one lacking a vision of what it takes to be a winner. This became plainly evident in the release of Lindy Ruff, who was in no uncertain terms fired by the fans, not by a proactive management group.

In short, if leadership truly believed Ruff had overstayed his welcome, he would've been fired well before the team finally feared that fans would stop showing up for games. (Alternatively, if Pegula and Co. actually believed Ruff was their guy, the right move would've been to retain him and attempt to improve in other areas.)

If the Sabres former coach had been almost anyone other than Lindy Ruff, this little sop to the fans probably would've passed without much fanfare. But when you're talking about a guy who coached the team for 16 years, you're left wondering why the ownership team, now in its third season with the club, retained him as long as it did if it didn't believe he was the best man for the job.

I reiterate, I was not disappointed in the least that the Sabres organization decided to make a coaching change. Sometimes the best coaches lose their teams, and it appeared this was the case in Buffalo. However, this move looked less like a team reluctantly doing what it had to do and more like a flailing organization making a desperate attempt to do something -- anything -- to effect positive change.

But reality eventually catches up to you. And it appears that the reality in the Sabres front office is that, despite the lofty rhetoric about bringing Stanley Cups to Buffalo, management doesn't have a very effective game plan for winning.

Right now it almost seems that the Sabres are not just failing to make the right decisions, but they're doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing.

You can't blame a professional sports franchise for playing its best players, even sometimes to a fault, when it becomes clear that wins are less important than seeing what your team's made of. But that doesn't necessarily mean the team's making the right decision. We saw this very thing begin to unfold last week when Mikhail Grigorenko was sent back to his junior squad and T.J. Brennan was given away for almost nothing (a fifth round pick).

(Pretty soon you're going to tell me the Sabres are going to hang onto Ryan Miller for another year and let him leave for nothing after throwing Pat Kaleta under the bus!)

The Sabres are finished for the year, if for no other reason than the fact that teams are playing only within their conference this season -- meaning that everyone above them in the standings (everyone but Florida at the moment) is going to continue to get points every night. So why not give Grigorenko the chance to play with the best forwards on the team and see what he can do in that role? Despite what Regier's trying to sell, he's not going to learn anything new in juniors.

Regier's rationale for trading Brennan was that he would be claimed off waivers, as evidenced by Florida's willingness to spend a pick for him. Fair enough, but as Bucky Gleason wrote the other day, he's only 23 -- though he played fairly poorly, he's very young for a defenseman and they often need a few years to develop, so he should've at least been playing out the remainder of this failed campaign so the Sabres really got the look at him both sides deserved.

On the other hand, I'm not the GM. If Regier isn't planning to re-sign Brennan next season, then you get what you can get for him now instead of getting nothing down the road. Just seems this kid has enough potential in his shot and skating ability that he could've at least been packaged as part of some bigger trades.

Which leads to my biggest concern. If things just aren't working as currently constructed, why even give Darcy the authority to make decisions on whether to rebuild or not as we run up to free agency? Why let him determine whether to trade Miller, Vanek, and/or Pominville in the first place? Why not just clean house, for better or worse, and start the heck over? After all, you can't get much worse than 29th.

Assuming the likelihood of Regier's departure prior to the trade deadline exceedingly slim, I think we can reliably judge Regier's competence by analyzing the rather simple Thomas Vanek Effect: If Vanek either does not sign an extension or depart via trade by the 2013 NHL free agent deadline, Darcy Regier should be fired immediately.

This would be one of those situations where the "management team" needs to know the deal in advance. Because if Darcy doesn't understand this very simple concept, he is the last person you need manning the phones on deadline day.

February 22, 2013

Well, as you all know, the deed has been done. For the first time in 16 years the Buffalo Sabres have played a game under a coach not named Lindy Ruff. (Well, except for that time Jordan Leopold tried to kill Lindy and James Patrick coached a couple.)

To put this in perspective, I've been through six jobs, three houses, two states, two dogs, the birth of two children, and all but one year of my married life, all during Lindy Ruff's tenure as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

It's no secret that I'm a Lindy Ruff fan. If you read my posts on this blog, you already know that. The guy has spent almost his entire professional life in the City of Buffalo, first as a player and then as a head coach. The guy bleeds blue and gold. He IS Buffalo. You can say what you want about his system, that it stifles talent, whatever. I think he's a good coach with a long career still left in front of him. He led the Sabres to a President's trophy. He took them to their only Stanley Cup appearance in my lifetime. (Technically, I was alive for the Flyers Cup in '75, but I was four, so I wasn't really paying attention.)

It's also no secret that, by the mid-point of last year, I had finally conceded that Lindy had. in hockey terms, lost the room. I went long stretches last year where I believed that the team had a talent problem, not a coaching problem. But then I watched them go out and put that brilliant run together and I realized that, hey, these guys CAN play hockey when properly motivated. And what's a coach's job? To motivate players through a very long season. So... even I, superfan of Lindy Ruff, could only be led to one conclusion... the players simply weren't playing for him anymore. It was clear that Lindy needed a change of scenery. At the time, I said I'd still be sorry to see him go.

And I am.

I had a brief flicker of hope after the first game of this season. But the fact is, the team looks no different now than it did for most of last year. They show flashes of brilliance but then they give away the puck in their own zone, or they stand by and watch as an opponent skates past 1, 2, 3 of them to fire point blank on Miller, or they do any other of a myriad of things that make me clinically insane on a nightly basis.

And so, I freely admit that this move had to happen. Yet, like many, I was stunned when I heard the news. Even though I myself had been calling for it for a year, I never thought Lindy would actually be fired. Part of me probably still didn't even want him to be. We all know how loyal Darcy Regier is to Lindy and, when I heard the news, the first image that popped in to my head was Ted Black literally holding a gun to Darcy's head as Darcy fired Lindy.

So with all of that on my mind, I couldn't help but get a little misty as I listened to Lindy's final press conference. I was also moved by the following story that Thomas Vanek related in Paul Hamilton's article yesterday on WGR's website. What makes it so poignant is Lindy was famous for riding Vanek especially hard.

Vanek had a final emotional moment with Ruff before he left. Vanek said, “It was very difficult. I went in to shake his hand and he gave me a hug and said, ‘Keep going, you’re doing well’ and I just told him ‘Sorry I couldn’t do more’.”

But, back to the press conference, the guy proved he is a class act, even on his way out the door. I wish more than anything that he could have brought the cup to Buffalo and left a hero rather than a scapegoat for a struggling team.

I am hopeful that a new voice and some fresh ideas will get this team turned around. I'm also hopeful that more player changes are coming. My jury is still out on Darcy Regier. I think he's a really shrewd businessman who makes killer deals. But I also wonder sometimes about his ability to judge talent. I mean, he did let Danny Briere walk away because he thought Chris Drury was better. And he did build the current defense, which is a complete trainwreck. And he has kept Jochen Hecht and Andrej Sekera for entirely too long. But that's a post for another time.

So, here's to a new era of Sabres hockey. And thank you Lindy, for everything. I know you still have many successes ahead of you.

February 20, 2013

Well I guess this is as good a day as any to start blogging again. I told myself (sorry for not sharing it with the four of you that read this) that I wouldn't spend the energy on this blog until the Sabres turned things around. And technically they have yet to.

But the firing of Lindy Ruff is good enough for me at this point. If you've read anything on this blog throughout the last year and a half you know we all think it's been long overdue.

We'll never actually know what really went wrong and why this team refused to show up on a nightly -- or even a shift to shift -- basis; why promising young athletes shriveled like raisins; or even more so, who actually pulled the trigger in the end: Regier or Ted Black? As much as I'd like to know these mysteries, ultimately they've become moot today.

I'm just ready for that fresh breath of air I've oh so longed for. I'm ready to be excited again. Hell, I'm just ready to finally stop cheering unfavorably toward my own team.

We'll find out soon enough whether or not Ron Rolston is the answer. I wouldn't spend all my chips in confidence. But I will vote yes to "it can't be any worse than it has been." Like Arby's once said, "change is good." Similar to the sports world where it isn't just good, it's necessary.

But as a diehard Sabres fan, I never thought this day would come. Especially so soon -- as funny as that sounds. But Lindy was there since my freshman year of high school. I'm now thirty. I can't get over how excited I am to see someone else swing the bat.

From a grown man's standpoint though, I feel somewhat bad in the end -- especially when you hear what good of a guy he is. You don't want to see anyone lose a job. I know personally what it feels like to be the one delivering the bad news. And it isn't fun firing anyone, but it's usually for the better.

So even if they keep up with the losing and miss the playoffs this year, I'm more than fine with this decision. I would've liked to see them be a little more proactive in their decision making, but in all, hope is restored -- for now. And I can at least rest easy knowing the sinners can finally lace up their skates south of [hockey] heaven tonight.

February 04, 2013

I can't argue that it was a bad idea for Darcy Regier to add grit to the Sabres lineup in the form of Steve Ott and John Scott. I mean, who wouldn't take Steve Ott?

I wrote just the other day that Regier should try to trade Tyler Myers for Ryan Getzlaf. I'm officially backing off that position. I don't want Getzlaf on this team.

Because Getzlaf isn't a great player? No.

Because Regier could trade for Evgeni Malkin and after a month we'd be complaining about how shitty Evgeni Malkin is.

Buffalo doesn't have bad players. Hell, they have a lot of really good players and one from Austria who's playing out of his friggin' mind to no avail.

For the umpteenth year in a row, we've eagerly anticipated the start of a season with a roster that could've been a helluva lot worse, only to watch the team show all sorts of signs that they have no interest in playing for their coach.

Rinse. Fucking. Repeat.

I don't think Regier is a bad GM. I don't think Lindy Ruff necessarily is a bad coach, either. And if they weren't best men in each other's goddammed weddings, I think things would've turned around by now.

But they're best friends, and because Regier has made it clear he won't fire Ruff, and because Regier was just handed a contract extension, we are shackled with this duo for who knows how many more years. That is, shit ain't gonna change any time soon.

So it's pointless to bitch about this team any longer. I have resolved to enjoy this train wreck until Sabres ownership realizes what a legion of fans already knows.

Last year ownership could hide conveniently behind the injury excuse, so when the Sabres rattle off another six losses in seven games, I simply hope they do it while relatively healthy. I honestly think a 15 game losing streak with a starting lineup is the only thing that even has a chance to get through to Terry Pegula and Ted Black.

I realize that finding the right GM/coach combo isn't as easy for a hockey club to do as it might seem to the average fan. After all, Brian Burke worked wonders for Toronto, right? But in the time that GMDR has held onto Ruff, he's also allowed guys like John Tortorella and Kevin Dineen to hone their skills in the organization and leave for greener pastures.

I've finally come to the realization that I want to see the Sabres either win every game or lose every game. All this in between where we pine for them to show up and at least pretend to give a shit and maybe make a run at the end of the year to sneak into the playoffs comes up short for me now. I have a two-year-old; I don't have the energy to give a crap about this team any longer if it insists that delusion is the key to success.

So I was going to come up with a list of players that I would either trade or cut immediately. But then I realized the list would be a lot shorter if I just named the ones I'd keep. This, of course, is only relevant to any discussion about organizational success if Ruff is fired, so bear in mind this is merely an exercise in futility.

There are several players who I'd like to see stick around (and let's face it, probably will), like Tyler Ennis and Christian Ehrhoff. And I put a couple on the list to keep that I could probably part with but who are there because they're important to the success of others (Pominville because of his chemistry with Vanek) or because of their potential (Grigorenko, especially with Joel Armia coming to town next year).

But then there's just the dead weight like Drew Stafford, Tyler Myers, and Ville Leino (who wins the award for Best Contract Signing Ever) and the otherwise irrelevant, like Ryan "The Kneeler" Miller, Nathan Gerbe, Cody McCormick, and Andrej Sekera.

As I said at the outset, all of these players are good, even for the NHL. But they're either not the right fit for this team as it's built or they've already just mailed it in.

Tyler Ennis checked a guy in the closing minutes of the Panthers game, so you know these guys can hit if they want to. Even though I have the Center Ice package, I admit I haven't studied every other team closely enough to see if there are any other defensemen in the league who flat-out refuse to hit guys behind the net five-on-five. But I'd be surprised if there were. I mean, it's like Ruff has a rule against it.

There are flashes of brilliance with this Sabres team, but overall they can best be described as a team that doesn't put in the effort until it's too late. In my experience this is the result of coaching.

Ruff said he wouldn't be able to bench Myers or even limit his ice time once he found out Sekera was out for the Panthers game. Bullshit. He has Brayden McNabb rotting in the AHL while Myers's candy ass flits around the ice turning the puck over like it's a Russian hooker.

Here's what you do: You scratch Myers, call up McNabb to give him a well-earned shot, and trade a motherfucker to make room for him on the roster if you're too afraid he'd get nabbed off waivers (which he would) when you sent him back.

That's how you run a team. Instead, Ruff and Regier are like two parents who give their kids everything, then go to work and complain to their friends that their spoiled brats act like assholes who take them for granted and refuse to work for anything.

There's a reason they say it's a lot easier to fire a coach than to replace an entire roster. It's because it is. And in a watered down league like the NHL, success and failure is almost single-handedly more the result of coaching than it is the players on the ice.

April 19, 2012

Since Trevor and Jon already gave their "season over" posts, I figured that I wouldn't bother giving my take on it. I convinced myself that it would have just been redundant, having no choice but to repeat most of the things they already said.

But since then, there has been plenty of news surrounding the Buffalo Sabres. And honestly, I still found myself not really wanting to write about them, but the more I sat and thought about it the less I could help myself.

If you're not aware of what the numbers above indicate, I'll give you a clue: The three and the five relate to how many times the Sabres have missed the playoffs, and the five and the ten explain out of how many years it took to reach those previous numbers, respectively.

So which ones look better to you? The smaller numbers or the bigger numbers? Either way you choose to look at it, both sets of numbers say the exact same thing: Every five years the Sabres only make the playoffs twice. But if you read Darcy Regier's latest comments, he's optimistic because they've actually made the playoffs twice in the last three years. Holy-splitting-fucking-hairs. So we'll just forget that in those two playoff appearances, his team was given the grand honor only eight teams per season get to share: a first round exit. [golf clap]

I guess we can look at the bright side about the last decade as we officially can't say this team's play is completely inconsistent anymore. [yawn]

One thing we can say is the what most of the Buffalo media has already taken care of: How can this team finish such a high-expectation yet disappointing season without explaining themselves in an end-of-season press conference?

Lindy Ruff had already taken care of his guys during their final practice of the season. He berated his players twice -- before and after their longest (and most pointless) workout of the season -- pointing out missteps and errors that ultimately cost them a berth into the playoffs. He singled out veterans for lack of leadership and production but applauded some of the younger players for stepping up and helping their late push.

After this information hit the Buffalo News, some fans that commented were enraged that Ruff spent so much time criticizing his own guys while not taking any time to put some of the blame upon himself.

I definitely understood where these fans were coming from but I felt differently. While I hardly think the perfect time to call out players is in a meaningless practice succeeding the game that found you eliminated from the playoffs, Ruff is still entitled to handling his players as he sees fit. Would it maybe have been a little more beneficial to take this action before the season spun completely out of control? Sometime in December, perhaps? Of course, but nonetheless Ruff was well within his rights. He doesn't answer to his players; he's their boss.

Granted, when I was thinking this at the time, I was expecting that Ruff would have to answer the tough questions from 1) his boss(es) and 2) the media -- with some of these questions taking place in the setting of a press conference.

But the answer was nay to both. I guess we all know now that it doesn't go down that way in Buffalo these days. By the Sabres organization letting Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier cover their faces with their sport coats and run off to their limousines while dogging hordes of pocket recorders and notepads, it gave me the proof that these two men are untouchable; that they basically answer to no one.

It's a funny feeling as a fan when you know there could be a possibility of great upside if a change was made, but with every new failed season, you still retain a certain fear and somehow know in the back of your head that nothing will ever change. Well not ever, I guess; everybody dies eventually. But still, it's a slap in the face of the fans who pay money to watch this charade -- I know, I know, there are strangely still just as many R&R supporters as there are haters. I'm still working on understanding that one.

But for people like me who figure things won't change (yet still reserve that place in my brain where I hope that I might be wrong someday) feel even more disrespected [enraged] when that fucktard Ted Black rushes out to WGR three days after the season ends so he can announce his unchanged faith in Ruff and Regier.

I mean, couldn't you at least wait a month and fool us into thinking that you looked long and hard for their replacements but couldn't find any suitable prospects? Believe me, I probably wouldn't have bought that either, but it would still beat listening to Black's pompous/cunty -- I'm smarter and better than everyone -- explanation behind announcing the inevitable so quickly.

It leaves me little hope that there will be any success in the near future. I almost want to go out on a limb and say this team won't win anything substantial (even a division title) until they get yet another owner.

Remember, Pegula once said that his daughter would quit playing tennis if she were under the same scrutiny as the Buffalo Sabres are at times. Obviously this belief has trickled down on how he treats his coaching staff, management, and players altogether. And Ruff and Regier's names might as well be Jessie and Kellie, because they now have a boss that is just as comfortable pampering them as if they were his own daughters. This belief has undoubtedly been reflected onto everyone from the top down. And I don't know about anyone else, but common sense would say that this very belief will hold the Sabres back from ever reaching the highest level in one of the most intense professional sports.

So it's a good thing that tennis and hockey don't have too much in common. Because if Pegula really wants to deliver on his initial promise, eventually he'll most likely be forced into changing his outlook on criticism first. And only time will uncover if he'll actually ever be open to that idea.

But currently at least, it doesn't appear to be the end of the world to some fans, but one day even the most loyal Ruff, Regier, Black, and/or Pegula supporters will find themselves turning on one, two or all of them. Patience only lasts so long, and I don't know many people patient enough to wait through another decade of only making the playoffs 40% of the time.

And if your mind works anything like mine does; where a first round exit isn't even noteworthy of making it, you can go ahead and lower that number to 20%.

February 27, 2012

As I watched the game versus the Rangers last night, I was a bit under the influence (duh?). Being caught in the blurriness of alcohol, I let my imagination start to run wild.

I actually let myself day dream to the point where I was asking myself, "Where will I stand if the Sabres actually make it to the playoffs?" Just observing how they've played as of late, it's starting to seem like it's not as far of a reach as it once was.

Just like Trevor, I've spent the past few weeks rooting against my favorite team. I figured if they would drop far enough out of contention, significant changes would be the next thing to come. Obviously Lindy and Darcy's jobs are safe for eternity, so I've been at least hoping for a shake-up on the ice.

It's gotten to the point where my desire to see them lose has actually been scaring me a little. I've never cheered for the other team before, never. Through good times and bad, I've always been on the side of my beloved Sabres.

I thought, "If the Sabres somehow went deep into the playoffs, how would I just turn down the hate meter?" I'm obviously a true fan at heart, but I haven't felt like one lately. I've legitimately hated these guys (or at least how they've been coached and managed).

To be completely realistic though, I don't think it's anything I'm going to have to seriously worry about any time soon. This team is still missing vital pieces to a Stanley Cup puzzle. Although Miller has played exceptional as of late and Ennis has helped fill the void at center for the moment, they still don't possess the scoring and toughness that's needed to make it four rounds in professional sport's hardest tournament.

So now that I've brought myself back down to Earth, I'm still pissed that the Sabres have been winning so much lately. Why? Because winning now doesn't get you in the draft lottery. Winning now doesn't force the overdue firings of both GM and coach. In Buffalo, winning now just sustains the hell we've already suffered.

This team is so screwed up, I wouldn't be surprised if last night was yet another example of such sustainment. Even though the Sabres suffered a loss in overtime last night, simply escaping MSG with a point was a victory for a team who couldn't buy that point two months ago. A point that surely kept hopes high not only in the locker room, but one would assume in the eyes of management as well.

With the deadline hitting mid-day tomorrow, I can honestly tell you that I'm little more than disappointed. All I wanted was Darcy to feel some sort of pressure. I was hoping he would need to approach the most anticipated day of the season with the idea of, "If I don't it a home run today, it will cost me my job."

Thanks to the recent play of his team, he literally doesn't have to do anything.

And due to the ignorance running through the veins of the ownership department, I would assume that they are comfortable thinking they were right when they decided to buy the injury excuse.

Stafford scored last night, let's keep him, he's so worth it! Roy back checked twice, he's a changed man! A real leader! Miller is the best goalie in the world again! This team is PERFECT!

Trust me, I wouldn't be surprised at all if that was the outlook from Darcy and more importantly, Terry Pegula.

Why do I think that? Why wouldn't I?!

All this team had to do was lose 3 out of their last 4 games. By winning 3, the status quo will be upheld; zero moves (or at least nothing significant) will be made at the deadline -- Darcy thinks his shit players are worth gold anyway; and this team will be primed and ready to sell another excuse when they just miss the playoffs or get dumped in the first round.

This team will continue to refuse to learn from hindsight and scramble to find their spectacles when it comes to having any foresight.

Of course, there's always the possibility that I'll be wrong. But seeing how Darcy has mismanaged his team on this day in most other years (except stealing Briere from Phoenix, of course), prepare yourself. Because there is a great possibility you'll be watching the same team after the deadline that continuously let you down before it. Only now, you'll be hoping that same team can not only make the playoffs, but somehow find a way to succeed if they happen to get there.

February 21, 2012

Just when I write that the Sabres have at least dispensed with the delusional statement, "We still believe," Lindy Ruff goes and says he still believes his team can make the playoffs.

Well, bully for us. We go from talks of winning it all to another first-round smackdown. Apparently that's the definition of success in Buffalo.

Thanks to the easy lay that was the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday afternoon, my simple hope that the Sabres would limp to the trade deadline to make Darcy Regier's job as uncomplicated as possible next Monday has already evaporated. I mean, even a team with four Drew Staffords would be able to dismantle an Islanders club that was embarrassed yesterday by the Sens 6-0, so I'm not expecting any miracles tonight. However, that doesn't change the obvious fact that this team just doesn't work as currently assembled.

But you know what? I still believe! I still believe that even if the Sabres went 0-4 on the run-up to the trade deadline with losses to the Pens, Isles, Bruins and Rangers, Regier would nevertheless refuse to clean house. He still thinks the Sabres would be a dominant force if it weren't for a bad string of injuries, so that tells me he believes he's by and large got an effective roster.

So sue me for wanting four straight losses just to have some irrefutable proof.

To the extent the Sabres will be able to compete with the Bs and Rags, it's largely because they're now viewed as the team other clubs can take a breather against by starting backup goalies, if not altogether underestimating like the Bruins appeared to be guilty of a couple weeks ago. But in the mind of Regier, shellackings like the one the Sabres put on Pittsburgh over the weekend are almost certainly considered proof of the team's bad luck or signs that "the right personnel are in place," rather than anomalies amidst a season of fantastic suckitude.

In reality, however, the Sabres' dismal record this year has been well-earned. There's no point rehashing everything that's been said myriad times on this blog already, but there are several key reasons for this team's complete implosion that can't be ignored.

1) Ryan Miller has had a horrible season. If he was hampered by a concussion, it's the coach's job to realize this and shelve him while turning to the backup; failing that option, it's the GM's job to trade for a capable starter in the interim. On the other hand, if his performance wasn't injury-related, the organization really needs to re-evaluate whether it needs to spend $6 million on average goaltending.

2) Besides Vanek and Pominville, the Sabres' expensive forwards have had campaigns that wouldn't earn them $1 million/year if they were three years younger. This is in large part due to the fact that Regier failed over the summer to address the team's most glaring need: a No. 1 center.

3) Despite the presence of Robyn Regehr and Zack Kassian, the team as a whole is no more physical or tenacious than it has been the previous five seasons.

4) And for the love of christ, how long does a team have to slack off before deciding to take their craft seriously and put in a full effort most nights? The fact that the Sabres have had to rely on late-season pushes for two years in a row to even have a shot at the playoffs illustrates Ruff's ineptitude or ineffectiveness when it comes to preparing his team for battle every night.

The Buffalo Sabres would have you believe that winning is difficult. Sometimes it is, but it sure as hell shouldn't be when you spend to the cap. So that means that at least one of your characters comprising the longest-tenured dynamic duo in the history of professional sports needs to be canned. In other words, either Ruff is failing to get enough out of his high-priced commodities, or Regier is spending too much on his players in the first place or simply mismanaging his resources. Or, of course, both.

None of this is meant to imply that Ruff and Regier have easy jobs. Everything is crystal clear in hindsight, and everyone knows an expensive payroll doesn't guarantee championships, if at minimum because some players have been known to coast once they've hit their paydays. After all, you can't fault Darcy for failing to predict that Brad Boyes would be the bust he turned out to be. Almost everyone thought that was a good pickup last season.

I can also support Regier's acquisition of Ville Leino ($4.5MM cap hit) and contract extension for Tyler Myers ($5.5MM cap hit next season). Even though Leino's performance this year would make a $3 million cap hit look like an embarrassment, he's not playing with a Danny Briere or Mike Richards, either. Sometimes if you want certain players, you just have to go out and get them. If Leino and his potential are keys to your future plans, it's better to pay him $1.5 million more than he's worth than not to have him at all, especially if someone else is going to throw him the money if you don't. Likewise for Myers. There's no way on earth his performance to date has earned him his forthcoming fortune, but it's crazy to think other teams wouldn't give a 6-8 kid with his shot, wheels, and minutes the same type of coin. Remember, we've all crucified Darcy in the past for letting our best players go because he refused to cave over an extra million bucks.

Even if Regier assumes the Sabres will squeak into the playoffs if he keeps the team intact, the question he needs to be asking himself is: at what cost? At the cost of scooping up valuable draft picks by unloading UFAs? At the expense of dumping payroll to give the franchise the flexibility to go get that No. 1 center? Of being able to send a message that poor performance won't be tolerated?

Okay, forget that last one. I realize Regier isn't exactly known for demanding success. But just keep in mind that back on Dec. 2 when the Sabres were flat-out humiliated by the Red Wings, they were down a few key guys but they had yet to incur all the injuries they faced by the time they got worked by the Pens two weeks later. The fundamental difference between the Red Wings and Sabres that night was that Detroit dismantled Buffalo with ease. So what if they would've actually had to try a little harder had the Sabres had their full roster that night? The point is, the Sabres aren't close to competing for a Cup, so now's the time to cut bait and rebuild the team into a winner.

The blatant irony surrounding all of this is that Darcy Regier is still at the controls, and I don't think he should be trusted to have his hands on the wheel; his fate shouldn't even have to come down to next Monday's performance at the deadline. However, if at minimum Regier doesn't open up at least $10 million in cap space next week (or at the very least send the equivalent amount of salary out the door prior to taking on the cost of any acquisitions), he should be fired by Tuesday morning.

Looks like the perfect opportunity to make some moves...again. But don't worry, I'm sure even more patience will be displayed by ownership, management, etc.

I haven't watched, read, listened to, or have done anything else Sabres since the day of the last Rangers/Sabres game. The hard drive on my computer failed and it was in the shop until yesterday. At one point I actually started to miss the Sabres a little bit. Yeah, I was a little surprised by that too. But I got over it fast.

Living in Texas, I actually got to see them play the Stars Friday. From what I remember (I was pretty drunkskie) it wasn't much of a game. Plus, the broadcast was so terrible on Dallas' end, it was almost unwatchable. The pre-game show and intermission reports looked like they were filmed in my parents basement with a home video recorder from the 1980's, and during the game they didn't even include a countdown clock during power plays. When it was all said and done, shitty hockey and poor broadcasting ruined the game and made it pretty unwatchable (at least the play by play guy was better than Kevin Sylvester). That isn't my point though.

All I'm trying to say is that once again I have absolutely no confidence in this team moving forward. My original thought was that we would be doomed for at least the next two years. Judging by the lack of action taken by...well, anybody up to this point, I'm fairly certain that I'll be right.

I can't believe how retarded this organization is. And the fans aren't much help either. There obviously isn't any pressure from any angle that makes these guys feel like getting up and trying to win a game once and a while. It's embarrassing for me. I feel that I've [wasted] a lot of time and money on this team, and if it turns out that winning isn't even something that really matters to them at the end of the day, I'll be the fool for keeping my belief in them for all these years.

Stop going to games; boo the shit out of them; sell all your tickets to Leaf fans; do something radical for Christ's sake!

It's great that Buffalo people are so supportive toward their city and teams, but it's time to get a little angry and demand that you're worth more than 2nd (or 27th) best.

There are no more excuses. The team is healthy, but still heartless. They have tuned out their coach and the GM doesn't know how to approach the trade deadline. Darcy was foolish enough to say publicly that he isn't sure if he'll be a buyer or seller at the deadline because he believes they may be in playoff contention by then. When asked if he had a list of players he may want to go after in the case of him being a buyer, he couldn't produce one name that he'd rather have than Brad Boyes. That's no shit.

I've always believed that Darcy was a shitty GM. I never actually realized he had no fucking clue at all.

I'm losing interest fast. I love the Sabres but I'm not going to waste my time following them when they don't even have an idea about anything. What's the point? In the short existence of this blog, we've given 10x the amount of evidence someone like Mario Lemieux would need to fire his GM.

But no, the Sabres will just stick with the status quo forever. We'll keep Lindy and Darcy around year after year so they can fail many more times than they have already. We'll keep overpaying worthless cry babies to not show up for games. We won't trade anyone because we're all such good friends.

That's what this team has become to me. Give me a reason to think anything different.

February 01, 2012

Well THAT was a fun game to watch for a change! As I posted on Twitter, tonight was the best game I've watched all season, and that's for ALL teams, not just the Sabres. The Sabres looked strong the entire game. The third period was off the chain, and the overtime period had a terrible boarding call against Ennis, leaving the Sabres to fight off a 4-3 Rangers power play for two full minutes. That penalty kill was a thing of beauty. The Sabres cycled well, got in lanes, blocked shots, and were always in position. The last 15 minutes of the game honestly had a playoff feel. The energy was incredible. And both goaltenders put on a clinic tonight. Henrik Lundqvist was, well, Henrik Lundqvist, but Ryan Miller was the Ryan Miller of the Olympics. He played brilliantly. He made several glove saves. (Yes, actual saves. With his glove. I know. I'm as shocked as you are.) He flashed the five hole and then took it away in the blink of an eye. He looked like a man who was in the zone and it was nice to see. It also begs the question, where has he been for three months?

As a fan, all I've ever asked for is effort. Bills, Sabres, my kids' games... it's all the same. I tell my kids all the time, "I don't care if you win or lose as long as you play your hardest the entire game." Too often over the past several years, we've seen the Sabres play great for a period, or a piece of a period, but then take a shift, a period, a night off. Since the All-Star break, they've been a different team. I don't know what happened. Could it really be that most of the team is healthy? Did someone on the team finally step up and become a leader and start calling guys out for not playing? Did Lindy cry in the locker room and beg for the players to save his job? Whatever happened, it worked!

For three games now, the Sabres have played the entire game. Ryan Miller has played exceptionally well. It's like someone flipped a switch. I don't understand it, but I definitely like it, because at the end of the day I love this team. (Team in the broader sense, not this particular collection of players.) There are those, even those who write for this blog, who would rather see the Sabres lose the rest of the way to have a shot at the number one draft pick. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. Everyone handles being a Buffalo sports fan differently. Personally, I have never been wired that way. Would it be beneficial to the team? Yes. But man, I just can't stand to see a team give up, which is why I've been so angry at this team all year. They gave up. They were going through the motions, mailing it in. I don't understand it, and I don't understand what changed it. All I know is I'm glad it changed. I'd rather watch them win than watch them lose, even if it means a worse draft pick. That's just how I am. And if they play like they did the past two games and lose every single game, well then at least it wasn't for lack of effort, and I'll forgive that every time. Just keep playing hard for 60 minutes every night.

I do have to admit though, I have a little extra hatred in me for these particular Sabres right now because they proved tonight that they CAN play well and they CAN be a competative team, which also proves they squandered what could have been a great year by being lazy, and that REALLY pisses me off.

January 31, 2012

I probably shouldn't even write that title because my luck it would mean the Sabres win two games in a row since ... forever? I can't even remember. But anyhow, it's a good segue into some random thoughts before tonight's matchup against Les Habitants.

- OK boys, you're basically fully healthy. Let's see whatcha got.

- The fact that Buffalo hasn't fallen assbackward into at least a couple wins in row since I started this blog -- that is, in over two and a half months -- is almost shocking. This team is a train wreck.

- Terry Pegula & Co. have spent a lot of time talking about bringing Stanley Cups to Buffalo, so this is going to sound a bit perverse. But if I were him, my directive to the team for the remainder of the year would be very clear: Every win from here on out will be met with a $25,000 fine. Per person. It's time to play for the first pick next year. On the bright side, it should be an order that's pretty easy to follow.

- There's been a lot of comments by Sabres fans on blogs and chats about how Ville Leino is untradeable because of his salary ($4.5 mil/yr). But these same people say Ryan Miller should be traded. NEWSFLASH: Ryan Miller cannot be traded because there are currently about 30 goalies in the NHL who have better numbers and make about four million less per year. At least Leino would save a team almost two million a year more than Miller would.

- The biggest loss this season could be the retirement of Rick Jeanneret. If the Sabres give us this little to get excited about, what incentive will there be for RJ to stick around?

- I really like Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, but he scolded Tim Thomas during yesterday's chat for not visiting the White House with the rest of his teammates, saying he should "respect the office." Well, fuck that office. Should Thomas respect other criminals like police officers and congressmen too?

Oh, wait. You expected a radical libertarian to just ignore that one?

- Just announced that Luke Adam is a healthy scratch. How much more evidence is needed to illustrate that Lindy Ruff is the biggest reason there's no chemistry on this team? The one good decision he made was to start the year by putting Adam in between two veterans on the top line. So it stands to reason he just couldn't stick with that recipe for success. And you wonder why Adam's confidence is shot?

- Many people figured Drew Stafford would light it up this year after a career year last season. Count me among the people who thought he was, like many players, just turning it up in a contract year.

- Speaking of contracts, sometimes a GM only has one card to play these days if he really wants to land a free agent, such as front-loading contracts that make guys like Christian Ehrhoff the highest paid player on the team (for a particular year, at least). But it's a mistake to think this doesn't have an effect on players who've been there for years. If you're part of the pampered "core" and your GM throws a ton of money at players who haven't proven themselves to the team yet, you might let your pissiness interfere with your performance.

- I'm so tired of watching these guys skate up to players after sucker punches or cross-checks like they're going to retaliate, then do nothing about it. Typical Ruff in his playing days.

January 26, 2012

Since we've got a week of no real hockey due to the all-star break, I thought this would be a good time to issue a challenge to my fellow Swordplay bloggers. Congratulations, Erik and Jon, you've been selected as finalists for the (never-vacant-but-hey-a-guy-can-dream) position of general manager of the Buffalo Sabres.

Your task is to draft the roster you intend to put on the ice on opening day 2012-13. Since we don't know what next year's salary cap will be, just use this year's cap as the salary limit. The goal here is not to develop your "dream roster" -- i.e., no all-star teams -- but to build a team realistically. To accurately assess the worth of your current Buffalo Sabres. To determine who goes and who stays in your quest to balance grit, skill, and leadership.

In other words, you need to walk into your interview with Terry Pegula and Ted Black with plans for a winner or this meeting will be over in three minutes.

If you know this team as well as you think you do, it's time to put Terry's money where your mouth is.

Finally, Terry and Ted are going to ask for your top three coaching candidates because they've finally realized this team needs a fresh set of eyes from behind the bench too.

January 23, 2012

A current 12-game road losing streak + a 3-10-2 record in their last fifteen + failure to win back to back games since November 11th + the all-star break staring you in the face + the trade deadline less than five weeks away = The perfect time to fire your coach and general manager

Unfortunately this is all hypothetical. If Pegula was set on making a change, one would think it would have happened long before now. Instead, he decided it would be a better option to preach patience and lean heavily on the injury excuse.

Overall, we're stuck with the decisions he's made (or failed to make) up until this point, but according to my simple math problem, now is as good a time as ever to move forward and change the culture of this franchise.

It's taken some of us more time than others, but the consensus now seems to be simply, "Fire Ruff and Regier."

So assuming a firing could actually occur, this is my logic:

The all-star break will give the Sabres an entire week off. A week that could be used to clean up a mess that was once a slow simmer, but has recently compiled into a rolling boil. We have witnessed a full collapse, it's not going to get any better without some kind of action.

This is ideal. This week off could give a new GM the time he needs to settle in and assess his new team (and coach) fairly. After a couple weeks of evaluation, the trade deadline will be upon us. Presuming the Sabres will be sellers, it would give this new GM an opportunity to immediately start building this team for the future.

Forget about acquiring players in trades. As much as I hate to say it, this season is beyond salvageable, so the new GM should be going after draft picks and prospects. The Sabres are well on their way to getting a top 5 draft pick already, bulking up with more picks wouldn't hurt at all. Plus, trading for picks would jump start the next important move: dumping salary.

The overpaid talent on this team needs to go; preferably by trade. I know Regier hasn't been able to make any (Brian Burke's comments on Darcy have spread like wildfire in recent weeks, they're obviously valid), maybe a new guy can. If not, waiving is the only option. As we look forward to another year of free agency, cap space is a necessity. Let's not forget that Tyler Myers will be making a lot more money next year, too.

A fresh face in the GM chair would be able to judge Lindy's performance accurately as well. He would be able to point out his shortcomings without a friendship getting in the way. He would be able to see how much his coach's soft attitude has negatively affected his team. He would be able to pull the trigger on him, a thing Regier isn't capable of.

***

What are the odds of this happening? I'm afraid to answer that. We'll know in two days whether or not this is just another one of my fantasies.

If I'm wrong (which I probably am), we'll get a real good look at where ownership stands by deadline day. If Pegula trusts Regier enough to make trade deadline moves, we'll have our answer to who will be the Sabres GM next year too.

Honestly, I don't know if I can make it through another season of this much frustration and despair.

January 17, 2012

I've never really been the type of person to take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but when people seemingly insist on visiting despair upon themselves, it's hard not to laugh.

Or to root them on, for that matter.

As recent events have illustrated, the Buffalo Sabres have not only failed -- and failed spectactularly -- to live up to self-imposed expectations, ownership has also made it clear that there will be no attempt to salvage the season (or to get a jump on improving prior to the summer) by doing anything but adhering to the status quo.

I think Erik might have been a bit too harsh on new Sabres owner Terry Pegula yesterday, but let's not confuse harsh with offbase. The Sabres are indeed the softest team in hockey, a culture that has been instilled by management and reflected by most of its players over the years.

In fact, if I read one more article about Ryan Miller's lip quivering during a post-game interview, I swear I'm going to burn every last one of my fucking Sabres hats. To quote Phil Wenneck, pull yourself together, bro.

Here's where we are: When the face of your franchise is a basketcase, you're pretty much screwed.

Erik commented last night that it's "rather fun" to watch Miller's career unravel before our eyes. I don't share this sentiment. Interesting? Surreal? Yes. Fun? No. I don't want the Sabres to suck (Well, suck enough for the rest of the year to get the first pick in the draft? Sure.) I don't take any pleasure in watching an individual's career go down the drain, especially if he's on my team.

However, what I do enjoy watching is insanity in action. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This is Darcy Regier in a nutshell. So while I may not get much satisfaction watching a player battle psychological issues that could be out of his control, I can't say the same for a GM who has every opportunity to objectively evaluate his team yet chooses to adhere to fantasy as a strategy for success.

Ryan Miller has always been somewhat of a headcase, but I believe he now realizes that every player in the league can beat him over his glove shoulder. He can do nothing about it. He is done.

Let me repeat that: Ryan Miller is done. I take no pride in writing that. He still gets the last laugh because he's a multi-millionaire, but just because an owner, GM, and coach think you can live up to your contract doesn't mean you can. Failing to both realize and act on this now will only further delay the Sabres' reversal of this downward spiral.

The problem is not injuries (you don't see Philly bitching about the loss of Chris Pronger for the season). I hope Mr. Pegula knows this. I hope he was just trying to provide some positive reinforcement while he figures out how to right this ship when he chalked up his team's horrendous play to bad luck. Because if he truly buys the injury excuse -- and let's face it, he seemed pretty convinced last week -- he's going to sell this team well before he wins a Cup.

Terry, this is what complete disarray looks like.

Complete disarray metastasizes itself in things like pathetic excuses when you can't pinpoint tangible reasons for failure. It's just like chemistry, which the Sabres continually say they need to develop in order to find success. But "chemistry" is the word you use when you can't find any rational, tangible explanation for why things work so well.

Just as things often work out unexpectedly and with seemingly little effort, sometimes nothing works no matter what you do.

I may not know much, but one thing I do know is that guys like Derek Roy, Drew Stafford, Ville Leino, Nathan Gerbe, and Tyler Ennis do not suck; they're in a pretty exclusive fraternity for a reason. But despite all the denial by Sabres brass, the combination of players they've assembled just isn't working.

Yes, your guess is as good as mine.

But the job of a GM is to, at minimum, be able to identify this. I've never thought much of Lindy Ruff as a coach, but this poor schmuck just looks lost behind the bench. He has the look of a guy who knows he's lost his team and, if nothing else, he needs to be fired for his own sake (in addition to my own).

In the meantime, the Sabres find themselves mired in a dreadful seven-game roadtrip. Any sober fan knew the Detroit game was over before it started last night; it was only a matter of by how much. The same goes for tomorrow night in Chicago. The word "dismantled" comes to mind. I don't see Buffalo winning more than one game on this roadie -- hell, they've already dropped the first two -- but the only thing that could potentially improve their odds is for Enroth to get the starts from now on until he loses two in a row.

Like it or not, the future is either Enroth or someone else. The options going forward for Miller are 1) buyout or 2) AHL. He is currently untradeable -- who'd give up property and take on that contract? -- and I doubt he'd even be picked up on waivers. He is the definition of sunk cost, and even I don't think Regier is dumb enough to keep him around given his cap hit. (Of course, Regier ideally wouldn't be around to have this decision on his hands.)

There's really no succinct explanation for the state of the Buffalo Sabres -- they've worked hard to create this mess over many years -- but if there's one thing that needs to end it's the incestuousness that defines this team. From the cozy, unhealthy relationship that is Regier/Ruff to the famed "core" that has spent more time together than most married couples, it's just time for a divorce.

And yes, until Terry Pegula and Co. realize this, I'll be reveling in the ignorance and naivete that currently define them.

To paraphrase Phil Wenneck, You actually gonna ride this or are you guys just fuckin' with me?

January 16, 2012

Well everybody, it seems we aren't so lucky after all. When Terry Pegula took over this team, we all felt for some reason that things would be a little different than how they've transpired. He displayed an emotion and drive to make this team a success, "multiple Stanley Cups" was his promise.

Less than a year later, I can honestly say I'm less than thrilled when it comes to the future of this franchise. I can no longer remain optimistic. Pegula employs a team of coaches and executives that insist on selling injuries, and he's making sure he's the first in line to buy their product. Showing that he has no immediate doubt in their capabilities.

All Pegula is doing is exacerbating a soft culture that existed before he took ownership.

Last year, the Sabres went on a remarkable run to make the playoffs. In the midst of all of this, Pegula took over ownership of the team. Before that point, Buffalo reflected a season almost identical to what we're seeing today. What followed? A team fighting for their lives in order to just make it to the playoffs.

I hear some fans dialing up that old flame for this season: We just need a good second half, you saw what they did last year, right?

I did see what they did last year, but I don't think we can expect much of the same for this one.

Terry was new then, everyone was unfamiliar with him -- probably even a little fearful. Fear is an owner's most valuable weapon.

Look at George Steinbrenner for example. This guy chose to be in the spotlight, demanding success and even calling out his players publicly if he felt it was necessary. Many looked at Steinbrenner as a radical, criticizing him on multiple accounts relating to his handling of situations. I mean, how could you blame him considering the kind of money he was shelling out for some of those guys? What did he get out of it in the end? Almost two handfuls of World Series Championship rings. You can criticize him all you want; you can't say it never worked.

In these most recent times of professional athletics, there aren't many negative things you can do to these guys. Aside from the luxurious travel and dining they experience from day to day, the most important factor (in the NHL especially) is that their contracts are guaranteed. An owner does not have the power to take away the salary of his players. Whether they perform or not, they still get paid.

I'm not trying to turn this post into a discussion about collective bargaining or labor, that would be a waste of time.

A message still needs to be sent somehow though. If Stafford's physical game is more representative of a ballerina than that of an NHL power forward (which is technically what he's supposed to be), or Roy continues to skate as if his tampon seems to be slightly ajar, actions need to be taken to get it through their heads that what they're doing is unacceptable.

If the players aren't going to do it themselves, the coach needs to hold them all accountable. If (or more like, when) he sees guys taking shifts off, bench them. If you don't want to make it entirely individual, maybe punish the entire team for it. I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone on the team that wants to be put through longer, more excruciating practices. Shit, the players' relationships toward each other might end up changing as well: as I believe Matt Ellis and Robyn Regehr would start to take great exception to the slacker attitude of others if it ended up affecting them.

But we shouldn't expect anything to change for the better, as Pegula apparently has just as much of a callow outlook on hockey as Ruff.

As Jerry Sullivan pointed out in his article this morning, Pegula was stunningly "naive and defensive" when it came to criticism, speaking of a meeting the Buffalo News editorial board had with Pegula back in February. Terry also said, "his daughter, a pro tennis player, would quit playing tennis if she was subjected to the sort of criticism [the media] leveled at the Sabres."

So that's what we're dealing with folks, the perfect fit to this soft/bitch of a hockey team: an equally soft/bitch of an owner.

A man, who apparently spends more time wondering how he will coddle the next player that has a bad day/injury, rather than working to fix the obvious problems staring him right in the fucking face. He doesn't get it, and contrary to my initial belief, I now have no idea if he ever will.

I'm actually starting to kick myself in the ass for not developing a liking to the Penguins after years of living in the Burgh. I was reading some articles on nhl.com about their recent struggles with injury and I find myself even more jealous of them as a franchise. I wish Pegula was more like Pens GM Ray Shero when he said, "We're making the playoffs, put it that way" and "Anything less is unacceptable... Just making the playoffs is never our goal."

Even Penguins coach Dan Bylsma refuses to blame injuries for their losing streak before this weekend, saying "At some point you understand there are going to be injuries and you move on and you get ready to play next game the way we need to play."

What else would you expect the troops of the great Mario Lemieux to say? Do you think that he would keep a GM or coach employed if they came to him with the same bullshit excuses that the Sabres like to reference? I'm sure he would retaliate with something along the lines of, "Fuck you bitches, I played with cancer!"

It all starts at the top, and unfortunately for us, our leader is lacking in the leadership department. If he refuses to change his point of view, it's sad to say that we will all be doomed for years to come. So we might just be better off just doing what Trevor said, start auditioning other NHL teams to play the role as the Sabres' successor.

Sorry for the rude remarks Terry, but you have to get it through your head. Ruff and Regier's time needs to be halted. You have enough money to turn this franchise into the Yankees of hockey, but you'll never reach that objective without employing the proper personnel.

Maybe you'll start to realize what needs to be done once the usually great season ticket renewal rate plummets next season; when it starts to take a toll on your pocket. But then again, maybe you won't. From what I've read, the majority of your fan base has a better idea in regards to what's going on than you do.

January 13, 2012

Well, we finally have the answer to why Lindy Ruff has relied so heavily upon injuries when trying to explain the Sabres' limpdick performance over the past two months, and it's coming straight from the top. As a Buffalo News article explains this morning, owner Terry Pegula has no plans to make any changes to his team because they've simply been overcome by bad luck.

"What everybody is missing is that I've been carrying around 167 man games," he said by telephone Thursday evening. "Forget about the season. I'm talking about the last 25 games. We've had 18 players go down. It's like a merry-go-round every night. You look on the ice and what are your defensive pairs tonight? Hell, who knows? Who's healthy?

"I think what's important is the number of guys. You can have 167 man games with four, five, six guys out for a long period. Eighteen? Cut me a break. I told Darcy Regier one time, 'If I was you, I would be afraid to get on the plane.' "

In fact, Pegula pointed toward the injury bug for virtually all of the Sabres' troubles this season.

Hey, the guy can think what he wants. Unfortunately for him and for thousands of Sabres fans everywhere, however, he is severely misguided. Maybe I'm just delusional, but Buffalo was playing better with five AHL regulars in the lineup before Christmas than they have been the past few games with a pretty healthy lineup. As I explained just the other day, you can hardly argue that Ennis, Sekera, and Roy are significant losses, and even without Ehrhoff the D is still better than it was last season.

Remember when the return of Tyler Myers was going to be the turning point? Well, they haven't won in the three games since he's been back. Ville Leino? He has no points, much less any goals, since his return two games ago. Jhonas Enroth has had his struggles but he's still outperforming Ryan Miller, yet he nevertheless finds himself relegated to the bench. Maybe Ruff needs to talk to Peter Laviolette, who's benched his newly-acquired $5 million goalie since the Winter Classic in favor of his backup because he obviously realizes paychecks don't necessarily win games.

Terry Pegula is nothing if not a diehard Sabres fan like the rest of us, so it's a little bothersome that he seems unaware that excessive injuries always tend to define this team. No coach is guaranteed a healthy lineup, but it's the great ones that win without one. Yes, the Sabres endured a really rough patch for about two weeks, but even when they were calling up Derek Whitmore and T.J. Brennan, what should not be overlooked is that they were still some of the better players on the ice.

Instead of pissing and moaning about the injuries, Pegula and Co. should be grateful for what they have revealed: that Brayden McNabb is a gold mine, that Corey Tropp makes Pat Kaleta irrelevant, that T.J. Brennan is ready for primetime, and that Enroth is certainly no friggin' worse than their "star" goalie -- who, by the way, gave up two more softies Tuesday against the Leafs.

Injuries are not the reason Drew Stafford, Ville Leino, and Brad Boyes -- all healthy -- cannot score. (The News's John Vogl made a great point this week when he commented that at 12 goals and almost $13 million between them, their goals have cost a million bucks a pop!) Injuries can't explain why Lindy Ruff opts to bench Zack Kassian -- who has much-needed size and no less offensive upside than Nathan Gerbe or Jochen Hecht -- in favor of Matt Ellis, Cody McCormick, and Kaleta. Injuries can't explain why a forward corps costing over $33 million couldn't score even one goal in Toronto last game. They can't explain why the Sabres were the first team in history to fail to retaliate against a player that viciously ran their goalie. And they can't explain why Ryan Miller is closer to a buyout than another trophy.

But don't take my word for it. Here's what Joffrey Lupul had to say about Gerbe after their mini-tussle at the end of the Leafs game Tuesday night: "He had 58 other minutes to play hard all game, and he didn’t. So it’s always a thing that makes me laugh, when a guy doesn’t show up for the game and then, with two minutes left, tries to make something happen."

For the past month I've wondered what other teams must think when they play the Sabres, and I think Lupul has provided a microcosm of reality. You could argue he's just being a prick by making fun of the city and waterfront, and to a large extent that's probably true, but if you read deeper he's illustrating a pretty apparent disrespect for the organization itself.

Teams know the Sabres are soft. The mockery that makes it to the public eye is probably nothing close to what goes on in opposing teams' locker rooms. Even after the Lucic incident, all we got was a play fight from Gaustad during the teams' next meeting, a pretty hard-fought game, and then a return to business as usual: generally spiritless play lacking any sort of consistency and determination. I feel like a broken record. I've been saying the same shit since 2006-07, but ... oh, wait a second ... the personnel hasn't really changed much since then, has it?

So Pegula and the rest of his crew can delude themselves into thinking injuries are the problem here if they like, but it will get them nowhere. In short, they weren't nearly as big a deal as the inherent shortcomings they have revealed.

Amazingly, today Lindy actually acknowledged the obvious and admitted that they can't blame injuries now that only a couple guys are out. But check out this direct quote: "Right now, we're close [to healthy] enough to win games." This is no shit. This is a head coach in the NHL, folks. A coach who flat-out admits that he, at minimum, implicitly communicated to his team that failure was either acceptable or unavoidable (or both) during the injury run. And this is a guy Terry Pegula defends.

So much for all those championships.

I truly hope this team stays healthy for the next couple weeks because I can't wait to see how these guys perform over the next half-dozen games, which include opponents like the Red Wings, Blackhawks, Blues, and Devils. I leave you with one thought: Prepare to be underwhelmed.

January 09, 2012

Well, technically they're 0-1-1 but whatever. Looks like the team is going to have to find yet another panacea du jour for getting back to the win column, because anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows the Sabres' injuries have played a very minimal role in their lackluster performance of late.

Obviously injuries aren't irrelevant, but what's pissed off Sabres fans the most over the past month or so is twofold: 1) the club's propensity to place more emphasis on making excuses for losses than on finding ways to win, and 2) the front office's insistence upon pussyfooting around with a GM/head coach tandem that has overstayed its welcome while yet another (potentially salvageable) season washes down the drain.

As I've mentioned several times before, injuries are not the problem. No one wants to be without guys like Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff, but players get hurt; good teams can accommodate short-term injuries.

Take a look at the D right now. The Sabres are absent Christian Ehrhoff and Andrej Sekera. If you plan to argue that Sekera is any sort of significant loss whatsoever, please pass the hooka now because I need some of what you're having. And Ehrhoff wasn't even on the team last year yet it found a way to make the playoffs without him.

So this year -- right now, even without Ehrhoff -- the Sabres' defensive corps has Myers, Leopold, and Weber -- all holdovers from last season -- only they've exchanged guys like Morrisonn, Butler, Montador, and Rivet for Regehr, McNabb, and Gragnani.

Would anyone out there actually take last year's lineup over the one that will take the ice tomorrow night against Toronto, even absent Ehrhoff and Sekera for now? I sure as hell wouldn't.

Injuries are not the problem. Hell, most Sabres fans would tell you that the reason the team got it together last year was because Derek Roy missed most of the season. If that's the case, what's the excuse now? That underachiever Tyler Ennis is still out? Please.

When Lindy Ruff has the luxury of making Zack Kassian a healthy scratch -- which, if you ask me, is just plain stupid -- you can't really bitch about injuries. I love Matt Ellis. Would that even half the team had his fucking heart. But the guy looks like a cat in a bathtub when he stickhandles, and you play him over Kassian? If anything, maybe try playing him in addition to Kassian and benching any forward not named Vanek or Pominville for a game or two. Gee, there's a thought.

Injuries are not the problem. However, Ryan Miller sucks. The forwards making $4 million a year couldn't hit a 25-cent whore with a roll of quarters in their pocket, much less the back of a net. Lindy Ruff allows/encourages soft play and from what I can tell has essentially lost his team. Blah, blah, blah.

So what cosmic events have conspired to cause this perfect storm of shittiness? Who knows? Probably a lot of things, and most likely many intangible ones at that. I've never been the kind of person to advocate change simply for the sake of changing, but you can't fix intangibles without changing the tangibles. It's already 2012. They're long overdue.

There's a reason a team with the third-highest payroll in the league can't win. There's a reason it doesn't retaliate against a team that runs its goaltender. There's a reason it refuses to lay bodychecks on an equally weak team that's obviously travel weary.

There's always a reason for everything. I'd love to get paid to figure it out if the Sabres would like to give me a shot. After all, I'd love the job security.

January 07, 2012

A team with the third-highest payroll in the NHL shouldn't be as fun to watch as women's basketball.

Thanks to Darcy Regier's latest comments that he has no intent to shake up the coaching staff and roster, it sure sounds like we're all going to be treated to more of the same for the rest of the season. Joy.

I've literally never witnessed a sports franchise insist on failure this aggressively when the solution to their problems is so goddamned apparent.

But then, what else would you expect when two-game winning streaks are the team's primary goal?

December 31, 2011

I want to first say Happy New Year to everyone. I hope you all have a very fun and safe holiday tonight. The long dick of the law will be out trying to fuck all of us tonight, so keep your legs closed and make sure you have safe means of travel home.

Now that that's out the way, we'll get to the Sabres. Last night on the WGR post-game show, the host started out by saying that we should all feel a little bad for Terry Pegula. He mentioned how big of a fan Pegula is and how much desire he has to make Buffalo an attractive place for hockey. Awesome, we all know that story. (Personally, I refuse to feel bad for someone that is ultimately responsible for the success and failure of a franchise, but anyway.) We know about the renovations, the alumni, and the atmosphere he has tried to create. In just months he has already had the ability to attract big name free agents and get one Robyn Regehr to waive a no trade clause. He's done very well so far, but he isn't even close to being finished. All of that was chapter one.

It's time for him to begin working on chapter two. Hoping that Brian [Cozio, I think?] was just making a statement rather than relaying fact, I don't want an owner that sulks and says "woe is me," I want an owner that demands the kind of respect he deserves. Terry proved in just a half of a year that it is very much a privilege to play hockey in Buffalo, so if your coach struggles to get his [men] out of bed in the morning, he needs to be fired; if players continually refuse to "show up for an entire 60 minutes," they need to be traded or waived; and if your GM doesn't have the ability to do that, then he needs to go too.

Knowing how the entire Sabres hierarchy is set up, those steps I just mentioned obviously wouldn't happen in that order, but that isn't my point.

I elected to not watch the game against the Capitals last night. I didn't even check the score once. I was home, I wasn't doing anything important. I just felt like spending some quality time with the wifey (she hates sports, and that's fine). Right before bed I checked nhl.com just to see the score and highlights. You see, even if the Sabres lose, I'll still go back and watch at least the meat of the game, because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to honestly assess their performance.

Yesterday was an entirely different story. All I had to see was one play. One play that made me not want to watch that game at all: The Derek Roy giveaway at 16:18 of the second period that lead to the Cap's second goal. Now, it wasn't so much the giveaway itself, it was Roy's lackadaisical effort that followed. He barely backchecked, had a chance to take the body on Ovechkin (and didn't of course), and then skated in circles in his own end while Ovi, Semin and Backstrom worked on putting the puck in the net. The Capitals were even outnumbered as the play developed into the Sabres' end. Didn't matter, scored anyway. That play was the culmination of the entire season for me so far.

When I saw it I was furious. I actually considered immediately cancelling my NHL Gamecenter membership on my computer. I mean, what the hell, I can. I pay it in $20/month installments, why keep watching this shit.

Of course I didn't.

Mr. Pegula has said that he wants to make the fans happy. He has said that he wants to do all he can to make this team a winner. Well, what are you waiting for? You call the shots, sir. You have eyes too. You have to be able to see that injuries aren't the issue here. The majority of this team never shows up for an entire game. Injuries or not, when your healthy players don't put forth an effort, it really doesn't matter anymore.

You know, if this team went out and gave everything they had and went 0-82 by season's end, I could care less at this point. I just want to see a hockey team that tries. The irony of that is, if this team actually did give a shit on a nightly basis (injuries included), they would have a hell of a lot better record than they do right now.

It is the season. It's time to start over again. It's time for resolutions. It's time for Terry and Ted to prove a point to everyone. Start the New Year off with a shake-up. This season is all but lost already, so why not start over now? Why not free up cap space, why not pack this organization with future draft picks? If they can't trade any of these overpriced losers, waive them, who cares?! Finish this season with a bunch of no names from the ECHL. It would probably be more entertaining.

If they unload Stafford, Roy, Miller, Gerbe, Gaustad, Boyes and Kaleta, they will have freed up about $23 million in payroll. Money that can be used to go out and get whatever you want come the off-season. If they can't get rid of Goose, Boyes, and Hecht during the season, their contracts are at least up after this year anyway.

The Sabres could put themselves in the ultimate position to build this team up for next season. They'll have more Rochester guys even more ready by then and the NHL free agent list looks a whole lot better than it did last year.

So if Terry wants his words to carry any sort of validity, he needs to take appropriate action to back them up. Sack up, put your money where your mouth is, and do what you've come here to do. You seem like an awesome guy, turn this shit-for-a-team around so we can all stays friends.

December 29, 2011

I was given one thing to smile about last night. After what has been a hellish week of work so far, my lady and I treated ourselves to the best burgers on the planet for dinner. Driving home with a happy stomach full of fresh beef and quality IPAs, the thought of "Shit, the Sabres are on right now" would eventually sneak in and haunt the back of my mind. However, just as I suspected, by the time I turned on the tube the Sabres were on the verge of once again failing to win two consecutive games.

The Sabres haven't won consecutive games since November 11th. That following Tuesday, the 15th, my brother and I started this blog. Now, I'm hardly a believer of superstition and luck, but sometimes it feels that maybe "Trevor/Erik Luck" has played a small part in this story. Maybe this blog is at fault for the Sabres' shortcomings. Since you're not familiar, my brother (Trevor) was the first to introduce the term "Trevor Luck" to the world many years ago. It's basically the equivalent of Murphy's Law, the lighthearted concept that whatever can go wrong will go wrong. But as Trevor likes to say, "Murphy's got nothing on me." Seeing that, I've kinda stolen his tag line, put my own name in it, and used it for situations I've personally gone through. It's more of a small escape from bad luck, making yourself feel better for something shitty happening. Unfortunately for me, I realize that I'm nowhere near important enough to alter the fate of our beloved Sabres in any way, but it's still funny to say sometimes.

All jokes aside, once again I have absolutely no idea where to begin. Although some fans bought the whole "patience" thing for a couple of weeks, judging by what I read on the Buffalo News' comment page today, their patience has since run out. It seems that now, finally, the consensus among all fans is: something needs to change. As I mentioned in a previous post, depending on who you ask, there are dozens of different opinions and ideas from Sabres fans on who to blame or what to do about all of this.

Since there isn't just one quick fix answer, I'm going to start with the three most important men in this organization.

Terry Pegula: I really appreciate the things he's done, and also respect the man for what he is: a true Sabres fan. I'm sure he thought he was taking the right approach to the situation by dumping a bunch of money into amenities for both players and fans alike. But when those amenities don't bring home any wins (or any home wins...haha), fans suddenly don't care about various upgrades to bathrooms, seating, lighting and Zambonis. Not to sound like an unappreciative asshole, but fans don't want smiles and handshakes, they want the Stanley Cup. And I'm pretty sure that the fans would suffer through the lack of a cup holder in the 300 level if it would get their team to the promised land.

I know that Terry is a hell of a guy, but if he and Ted Black can't decode the mystery that is holding this team back, he at least needs to know to make a change. If he can't, he isn't any more important to me than those Regis boys.

Darcy Regier: He's the man we've all known and loved/hated (your call) for the past decade and a half. Fifteen years ago I was 14. It was only a few years prior that I actually started understanding the differences between players like LaFontaine and May, or Mogilny and Khmylev. Before then, they were all the same to me, they were all just Buffalo Sabres. Now, all of the current Sabres that have a spot on this team are here because of Darcy Regier, and I can't reap the luxury of youthful ignorance anymore. I know where most of them were born and know how most of them got to Buffalo, what round they were drafted in or who Regier traded away to get them. I'm old enough to see the good things that Darcy has done, and old enough not to forget the bad things that he has done. But I'm only going to focus in on the last six years or so.

We all remember the mid-2000s where Buffalo was almost on top of the world. Just one round short on two occasions of playing for the Stanley Cup. Those were the final years of the Briere, Drury and Campbell Sabres. Since then, the young guys that were on those teams now make up the veterans on the current roster. Most of them homegrown. Most of them under-performing. None of them winning a post-season series since.

I'm not going to be one of those "keep bringing up the good ol' days" guys. Honestly, I believe not in any good ol' days, there's no such thing to me. Darcy has made some magical moves in the past. On a couple of occasions, he has traded dog shit and gotten gold in return. I just want him to prove he can let some of his homegrown players go in an effort to get another Briere or Drury. He did it with trades in the past and he's going to need to use those same methods now. He has the green light, so if he can't, then maybe Jon is right (see his comment to his own post).

Lindy Ruff. The outcry for the calling of Lindy's head is getting louder and louder with every new loss. I've written in the past about getting rid of him too. Now that the situation has gotten as complex as it has, I don't even know what to think about the issue anymore. What I do know is: Lindy makes excuses for poor performance; doesn't give any credit to anyone whose name isn't Roy, Stafford, Vanek, Pominville or Miller; and allows his players to acknowledge what needs to be done, but obviously doesn't enforce their own words or hold them accountable come game time. He doesn't know when to pull a goalie either.

Since Darcy has spoken out about how he'll never get rid of his best friend, I'm going to play a little game where I pretend that he never said that.

My philosophy on firing Ruff has been a very elementary one: Relieving him of his duties would only be one small step in the effort to improve this team's performance. Trading players is an extremely tricky thing to do, and it can also take weeks to iron out the perfect deal. So, if you kick him to the curb and the players that already exist on the team don't react the way you'd like them to, you could then assume that the players are the problem. You can move on and make trades after that point. But it's a risk I would definitely take. He's never won anything anyway. Tons of players have come through his system and none of them were able to get it done in the end. So is it the coach's fault or the players'? We won't know until he A) wins a Cup, or B) gets fired, and we get to see what another coach can do. How long will we have to wait for either of those scenarios to play out? Your guess is as good as mine.

The common belief amongst Sabres insiders is that no one is going anywhere. That's just something I can't wrap my aching brain around. I always thought that the world of professional sports was a cut-throat business, where players, coaches and managers need to constantly prove they belong at that level. And if they couldn't prove it, they would be gone tomorrow and you wouldn't even remember their names. In Buffalo, the case seems to be very much a unique one. Their relaxed attitude has them going to the beat of a different drum. Maybe that's the reason this team and its fans have been waiting 40 years and counting.

A great front office is a necessity, especially since the Sabres haven't had the luxury of being in the darkest corners of the basement for years on end. They've never gotten the Crosbys, Lemieuxs, Lecavaliers or Kanes. Okay, they got a Perreault once, but whatever. Personally, I don't believe that top five draft picks make teams what they are. Many argue that point. Some people think the reason the Penguins and Blackhawks are so good is because they went through so many years of sucking ass. That is a bunch of shit, and you know it. What's the excuse for the Red Wings? They have remained competitive and they haven't sniffed the cellar in over a decade. They draft smart and coach well. There was a time that Buffalo did those things well too, but the lack of effort and emotion these days goes to show that the good coaching and drafting days are apparently over.

"on trades?? darcy has free reign to do whatever it takes. only constraint is stay within cap. there is no list of players he can't trade." [sic]

Now we get to see what kind of GM Darcy Regier really is. Frankly, I think he has it in him. I truly believe he was handcuffed by previous ownership. Prove me right, Darcy. Make a move. Make several moves! Blow this team up. Get rid of the plethora of potential-30-goal-scorers on this team and go get an ACTUAL 30 goal scorer. Get a true #1 center. Get a new coach. Get a shrink for Ryan Miller's fragile ego. Do what it takes!! I'm even willing to let go of my man-crush, Drew Stafford, and get stuck with yet another Sabres jersey in my closet of a player who didn't last if it makes this team better. (On a side note, it's a fact I'm jinxed when it comes to buying jerseys. I finally decide to get a player who I think is going to hang around a while, and they are gone shortly after. Next one is gonna have Perreault's name on it so it will last more than a year. In the meantime, I'll hang my Stafford jersey between my Satan jersey and my Dainius Zubrus "Zubaz" t-shirt from 289 Productions, and throw in my Stu Barnes bobblehead.)

The fact is, the Sabres have an overwhelming amount of young talent in Rochester. Package some Sabres, package some Amerks, package some prospects, draft picks, your sister, a gift card to Mighty Taco, I don't care. Sell the farm for a Jerome Iginla or a Ryan Getzlaf. Dazzle us, Darcy! Make the Sabres faithful stand up and collectively say "WOW!"